


The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black

by renaissance_is_tranquility



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Arcturus is a savage at times, Cygnus and Druella are good parents, Druella owns the place at times too, Multi, Ophelia is a veryyyy powerful witch, Ophelia is the eldest daughter of Cygnus and Druella, Orion and Walburga suck, Pollux and Irma are quite cool, Vinda is Druella's older sister, and etc, eventually Cassiopeia and Ophelia will run the place, great relationship between the youngest Blacks, the most ancient and noble house of black
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:14:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23785357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renaissance_is_tranquility/pseuds/renaissance_is_tranquility
Summary: Prologue: “En stirps nobilis et gens antiquissima Black”In the entire Wizarding community there were families that stood out. Those were the sacred 28, families known for the pure blood since their ancestry can be dated back to medieval times. Most of them believed in their superiority from the rest of the community since they were from a pure magical bloodline unlike half-bloods or muggle-borns.The most notorious, noblest, and purest family was the Black family. They were infamous in the Wizarding World, protectors of magic they used to call them. The Blacks value family above anything else in the entire world, showing that if you turn your back on your family you are nothing. That is why they still continue to exist, unlike many other ancient family names that have gone extinct. The Blacks are still on top of the food chain in their society. But what will happen when the youngest generation decides to radically change things? Will the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black fall extinct? Or will it rise to meet a glory unlike no other?Behold the offspring of noble birth, andwhose people were the most ancient Blacks
Relationships: Alferd Rosier/Rose Rosier, Alphard Black&Walburga Black&Cygnus Black, Arcturus Black III/Melania Macmillan Black, Cygnus Black/Druella Rosier Black, Ignatius Prewett/Lucretia Black Prewett, Irma Crabbe Black/Pollux Black, Ophelia Black&Andromeda Black Tonks, Ophelia Black&Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Ophelia Black&Cassiopeia Black, Ophelia Black&Narcissa Black Malfoy, Ophelia Black&Regulus Black, Ophelia Black&Sirius Black, Orion Black/Walburga Black, Queenie Goldstein/Vinda Rosier
Comments: 5
Kudos: 15





	1. The Beginning of a New Era

**Author's Note:**

> hello everyone, so this is the first kind of official story I am writting sooo....I hope it's adequate and that you like it from this small snippet of a chapter  
> next few chapters are quite bigger in terms of words and development just saying  
> comments and ideas are always welcome, thanks for reading:)  
> i got a lot of inspiration by SynBarron's work "Cassiopeia", which is great you all should check it out, so some credits go to them  
> p.s. for those wanting to know the last phrase of the prologue is basically the english translation of the latin title:)

.........  
May 31st 1950

It was a peaceful spring afternoon of the year 1950. A beautiful day it was indeed, especially for the Black family. For on this very special day, the beginning of a new generation of the family began. You could see and feel the sentiment of faith and hope that everyone had, even Walburga Black the coldest woman in the family.  
As it was tradition, almost the entire family had gathered in the master bedroom of Cygnus and Druella’s mansion, eager to meet their newborn baby girl. It was a sincere and absolutely wonderful scene to witness.  
Druella was currently lying down, holding her baby girl as if she was holding the entire world in her arms. She now understood what true and unconditional love meant, just by looking in her daughter’s eyes for the first time. Her husband, Cygnus, was sitting right next to her on the bed filled with content but not showing it directly to the rest. Walburga was sitting down at a nearby armchair, since she was also due in a few months, with Orion standing next to his wife. Arcturus and Melania were present, firstly because the eldest Black alive was the Lord of their House and secondly they were eager to see the youngest member of their family up close. Pollux, Irma, Alfred, and Rose were standing beside their children, proud of them becoming parents and contemplating on how fast the years have passed since they were all now grandparents. Last but definitely not least, Druella’s sister, Vinda Rosier leaning towards the pole on the base of the bed, with a huge smile plastered on her face. She just could not believe that her little sister was a mommy and that making her an auntie. This all just seemed like a beautiful dream that she would soon wake up from.

“She is absolutely ravishing little sis” Vinda said while settling beside her sister’s left side, staring at the little one in complete awe. How could a newborn be so beautiful and breathtaking?

“She truly is, have you decided on a name yet my dears?” 

Irma was the one who spoke, having a spark in her eyes showing her pure love and adoration for her granddaughter. Druella looked up towards her husband with a small smile and a pleading look in her eyes. She knew that whenever she gave him that look, he would oblige and do her whatever favor she wanted. But everyone in the room surely did not expect seeing the sight of Cygnus giving her the most radiant smile he has ever given in his life. Slightly nodding his head, he kissed the top of his wife’s head showing her his approval.While they both stared into the deep green eyes of their daughter, being completely mesmerized, Druella spoke up.

“Yes we actually have decided on a name. Our firstborn daughter shall be named Ophelia Rose Black.” And once she finished her sentence she looked at her mother, whose eyes were beginning to fill with tears. Rose just couldn’t believe the fact that her daughter named her first child after her, it seemed……out of this world.

“May she be filled with nothing but happiness in her life, our little Ophelia.” 

Arcturus said, giving his blessing as Lord Black to the newborn child. Everybody nodded their heads in agreement, and turned their heads towards little Ophelia. Who could have told them, that this day marked the start of a new era for the Black family and the entire wizarding world. This day would later be known as the day that one of the greatest witches of all time was born; and her name is: Ophelia Rose Black


	2. A Bond Like No Other

.........  
August 6th 1950

Being around mid-summer, the 6th of August was a rather hot and dry day. But nonetheless it was pleasant in general terms. Ophelia had just turned 2 months old. Ever since she was born, the baby girl had changed her parents almost completely. Druella, even if she wasn’t a cold person to begin with, the birth of her daughter offered her a new prospective of viewing life. Her mother had once told her, that she would never feel the love that she has for her until she herself became a mother. And looking back at it, she thought, her mother was right. She could feel this strong feeling in her heart when Ophelia wasn’t in her sight. She had that feeling of protecting her no matter what the cost, even if it means sacrificing herself. For the first time she felt true, pure, and unconditional love towards another human. But it wasn’t just any other human it was HER child, her 2 month old daughter. Cygnus did share mutual feeling with his wife about their daughter. He mostly had the feeling that their life purpose was finally clearer than ever.

It was early in the morning when they were informed by Orion that Walburga had just given birth to their child. Almost immediately they got ready and headed to meet their niece, bringing along Ophelia of course.Once they reached 12 Grimmauld Place, they met the rest of the family in the master bedroom, standing around the bed meeting the newest member. Walburga didn’t seem any different in terms of expression, wearing her usual blank face, but there was a certain new glow to her that they found reasonable. Orion was a bit similar, only that you could see a small smile creeping to appear on his expressionless demeanor.

“How are you Walburga? How is the little one doing?” her brother genuinely asked

“We are both fine Cygnus, do not worry. Orion dear, since everyone is present would you mind doing the honors?”

“Ofcourse my love. We have decided to name our daughter Cassiopeia Black II.” They all smiled, remembering their dearest aunt Cassiopeia who was currently living in Northern Ireland enjoying the company of her husband and friends. She was an outstandingly intelligent and persuasive woman, which makes sense why they named their daughter after her.

“Well in honor of my cousin, I hope and wish she becomes as a bright witch as her.” 

They both nodded their head in gratitude while listening to Arturus wishes. One watching him could see the emotion in his eyes, while looking at his granddaughter completely mesmerized. At the middle of this touching moment, Ophelia woke up stirring in her mother’s arms. Druella looked down at her daughter and smiled lightly. She looked almost angel like, with her green eyes and her beautiful laugh.

“Hello little one, would you like mommy to introduce you to your baby cousin?” the baby just smiled while laughing eager to see what her mother was talking about. Druella slowly approached the bed and settled next to her sister-in-law and niece. She gave Walburga a small smile accompanied by a questioning look that was answered with a nod.

“Ophelia this is your cousin Cassiopeia.” Upon saying that she lowered her daughter gently to have a better glimpse of the newborn. By the excitement and adoration that existed in her daughter’s face she just knew that those two would be inseparable; and that their bond will be like no other.

........  
December 1950

It was a cold winter night, a few days before Christmas or Yule since the Blacks celebrated both. Druella was comfortably sitting on her couch in the living room of the Black Mansion. Sitting beside her was Vinda who was playing with an overly excited 7 month year old Ophelia. It was a rather homely and secure atmosphere, since the fireplace was on and nearby laid a recently decorated Christmas tree. Druella could not be any happier; she had her sister and her daughter next to her enjoying themselves while her husband was on his way home from work. 

“You know sis I’m really proud of you.” Vinda said smiling brightly towards her younger sister

“I know Vin, I know. But you know you could have all of this if you…”

“Now Ella, we’ve talked about this. As cute as this little bundle of joy is…” she said scrunching her nose while tickling her laughing niece “…I’d rather be alone and free to do as I please. Besides I get a full ‘mother dose’ whenever I come over and you know it.” 

Druella chuckled at her sister, she could always make her laugh and brighten the mood. That’s one of the main reasons that she loved Vinda, because she brought happiness to others whenever and wherever. It’s also why she believed that she deserved to have someone to love, to have as hers and maybe start a family with. But whatever her personal beliefs were she respected her sister’s choices. 

“You know whenever you come over she gets all playful and excited. She may like you more than she likes me.”

“Well she’s not wrong I mean look at me.” She then raised the baby up to her eye level smiling. “Who do you prefer my little buttercup, mommy or auntie?”

They both chuckled after their small sisterly talk/competition of who the baby likes most. But what came afterwards left the both of them in shock. As Vinda settled her niece on her lap the little one outstretched her arms towards Druella and slowly opened her mouth.

“Ma…mommy!” the second the sound left the baby’s mouth the two sisters looked at each other both shocked.

“Au…auntie!” if tears were not welling up until now they for sure did the moment she said her second word. Druella took her daughter in her arms and kissed her little hands, while Vinda gently stroke her niece’s hair.

“My little angel… the light of my life…” 

She said between the kisses. Vinda could not help but smile at her niece while tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks. The two women couldn’t wait to tell Cygnus about this knowing he’ll be just as touched and happy as they were. But it was no mere coincidence that Ophelia’s first words were the names of the two most important people of her life: her mother Druella and her aunt Vinda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter coming soon:)


	3. Their First Word

........  
January 1951  
The family was gathered at Arcturus mansion to celebrate his 55th birthday. At this gathering everyone was chatting mostly about politics and the situation in the Wizengamot and Dumbledore’s fight of prejudice against the Dark and even some Grey families. Away from this conversation the little ones were sitting in the outskirts of the living room trying to play, while Melania and Irma watched over them not really paying attention to the rest. When the little ones started to squeal from joy Ophelia said:

“Come Cassie, come!” she was already beginning to crawl when everyone heard Cassiopeia speak her first word ever.

“O…oph…Ophelia!” 

Everyone in the room went quiet, their previous conversation forgotten while staring at the toddlers. One could see the shock and how offended Walburga and Orion felt that they were not their daughter’s first word. On the contrary everyone were pleasantly surprised, while Arcturus tried to hold back his tears of joy since his granddaughter spoke her first words on his birthday. He could not have asked for a better gift. Even more than the times before, Druella was now almost completely certain that her daughter and her niece shared a bond like no other, that they would be inseparable. But she was also certain that Ophelia was gonna change many things around here that will definitely not please some, especially the other far more prejudiced couple.

.......  
September 1951  
It was the fall of 1951, and 6 months prior, on the 30th of March the family welcomed Ophelia’s younger sister Bellatrix. In a moment of family time among, Druella, Cygnus, Vinda, and Ophelia was when Bella decided to share with them her first word.

“Did you attend the latest Wizengamot meeting Cygnus?” Vinda asked

“Yes, I did actually, but as per usual I just joined my brother in the room of spectators on top of the chamber. It was quite a tense meeting; did your father tell you about it?” the sisters shook their head while they were holding the little ones.

“Well, the Light side was trying to convince a few Grey families to join their alliance in terms of the Olde Rituals, meaning to declare them illegal.” With the last word Vinda was about to spit her tea from her mouth. Being the most loyal acolyte even friend to Gellert Grindelwald in her early youth, everyone knew her opinion on this issue.

“You must be joking. Please tell me you’re joking.” Cygnus shook his head. “Incroyable…ces traitres de sang pensent qu’ils peuvent changer les manières de notre Mère Hécate.”

Vinda murmured in pure hatred for the blood traitors as they called them. Even if in the past their families supported the complete annihilation of muggles and muggle-borns their opinions had changed over the years. In general they supported Grindelwald’s vision of the world; most of the Black family now believed that muggles weren’t completely worthless but of other value let’s say and as for muggle-borns well they couldn’t care less. They realized that someone’s blood doesn’t define them but their talent and determination to succeed. But there are always people, who are the exceptions and in this case they were Walburga and Orion; they still believed in pure blood supremacy and the uselessness of muggles. That’s why Druella especially was keen on spending as much time with her niece in hopes of saving the child from adopting this sort of medieval philosophy.

“Vinda I feel your frustration, and believe me the minute they shared certain words about our families I was about to act as well. But there isn’t much we can do; we can only convince the Grey families to remain neutral at least.”The minute she opened her mouth to respond a sound came from little Bella who was resting in her mother’s arms

“Oph…Ophelia?” unlike Orion and Walburga, Cygnus and Druella were quite glad that Bella’s first word was her older sister’s name. They knew that this indicated something they had all hoped for. A strong bond between the new generation, uniting the House of Black and forming a united front against the rest of the world.

........  
March 1954  
The years started passing by a bit faster than they used to in Druella’s opinion. Last fall on September 2nd Andromeda was born, bringing even more joy to Cygnus and Druella’s life. When she first saw her baby sister, Ophelia couldn’t form any words; she didn’t what to say, because there were no words that were able to describe her emotions at that moment.

While out in the garden enjoying the weather with her mom, aunt Vinda, and grandma Rose, Ophelia was playing with a 3 year old Bellatrix while Andy laid in their mother’s arms drinking milk peacefully. The women were having tea, discussing the latest turn of events in the Wizengamot since as it seemed Dumbledore continued implying that every Dark and even Grey family were pureblood supremacists who hated les non-magiques. Since the Rosier family was almost entirely from French descent, both Vinda and Druella had learned to speak French fluently; and while speaking politics around the girls they preferred to speak in French.

“Mais il ne peut pas condamner notre et les autres familles noir ou grise. Il n’a pas des preuves!“ Druella said in dispair

“Tu crois que je ne le sais Druella? Mais cet homme a une opinion très biaisée vers nous. Et il est possible qu’il pourrait ne jamais accepter le fait que nos opinions ont évolué.” Her mother replied, sighing heavily after finishing

“Oh Mon Dieu. Comment quelqu’un peut-il être aussi stupide?” 

Vinda said while shaking her head in disbelief. Other than the heavy matter being discussed the scene was peaceful even picturesque one could say. That was the moment that Andromeda chose to speak for the first time. By then Druella and the rest knew and expected Ophelia’s name to be the first word of all this generation. And that’s what happened with Andy as well, while after that Druella sweetly smiled and called her daughters to join them and hear their sister’s first word ever.

.......  
April 1956  
Ophelia was almost 6 when little baby Narcissa, who was born on the 5th of October, spoke her first words which everybody already knew what they were going to be. But this time it happened a bit differently. This time, it wasn’t her mother who witnessed it first but Ophelia herself.

She was at her bedroom, with Cassiopeia, Bella, and Andy painting on some books with magical creatures that you needed to draw; their parents got them, as a present during Yule. While the others were painting in silence, Ophelia was taking care of Cissa. She was feeding her bottle since their parents were out attending to some work issue, while aunt Vinda was downstairs preparing some food for them; despite the protest of the house elves. 

“Bella! You’re supposed to paint the dragon’s fire red not that!” Andy squealed while indicating a dragon spitting fire

“Andy have you ever seen a dragon spit fire? That’s right you haven’t so I’m doing it my way.” 

Bella retaliated and before they could start bickering again, Cassiopeia looked at Ophelia and nodded to each other. Ophelia then settled Narcissa down in her crib that was next to her, and headed towards Bella’s side. She then started counting silently, not making a sound. On three the two older girls started tickling the younger ones, in order to prevent them from arguing any more. The sound of giggles filled the room, while Vinda entered the room smiling.

“Well looks like you all munchkins are having fun! Care to take on your auntie Vinda? All of you against me?” the little ones were tempted so they attacked their aunt simultaneously tickling the older woman. 

“Oh I’m gonna get you!” She said while chasing the children around the room. That’s when they heard Narcissa murmur something from her crib; Vinda and Ophelia jolted towards her side while the others continued playing. When her aunt tried to pick her up, Narcissa said her first word.

“Lia!!” the second she heard her nickname Ophelia’s eyes were wide open in shock, while her aunt smiled.

“It seems that she wants you Ophelia, ma chérie. You can hold her if you want to.”

She told her niece sweetly, while the little one took her baby sister into her arms. Ophelia looked deep into Narcissa’s ocean blue eyes, and gave her brightest smile. It was one of those times, that she felt something strong tug her heart. She knew what it was; she knew her responsibility as the eldest was to protect her family from any harm. On that note she thought of something, a sort of promise that they’ll have. Looking up at her aunt with a smile she asked.

“Auntie Vinda, how do we say always and forever in French?” 

“Well you know always is toujours right little one?” she asked while kneeling down to be at her niece’s eye level. The little one nodded her head eagerly.

“Yes mommy taught me that!” Vinda couldn’t stop smiling at her niece; she was only 6 but so intelligent and aware of her surroundings, one of the reasons why everyone felt so proud of her.

“I know buttercup. Now even though there isn’t a particular translate of forever we can say….hmm… how about ‘toujours et pour toujours’?” 

“I like that auntie, thanks.” Vinda smiled and kissed her niece’s forehead

“You’re welcome sweetie. And since you mentioned French, would you like me to start teaching you?”

“Yes, yes, I would because I wanna know what you, mommy, and grandma are talking about whenever you speak French!” perhaps a bit too intelligent, Vinda thought

“Alright, I will talk with your momma. Now come on it seems like Bella and Andy are winning over Cassie.” Ophelia nodded while her aunt headed towards the rest. She gently kissed Narcissa’s forehead and placed her down in her crib to rest, while looking over her. She hovered over the crib, giving her sister a small smile while Narcissa held one of her fingers with both of her own little hands.

“I promise to you Cissy, toujours et pour toujours.”

......  
June 1956  
It was a family field trip to Scotland for the weekend. It was Cygnus, Druella, their daughters, Arcturus, Vinda, Walburga, Orion and their children. Sirius was a very restless baby, even if he was only 7 months old (born 8th of November); Ophelia couldn’t imagine how he was going to be when he reached their age. But nevertheless she actually enjoyed spending time with him, every weekend when her family went to Grimmauld Place to see aunt Walburga and uncle Orion. So as they were out in the fields of their estate, nearby a creek, the grown-ups were nearby sitting at a wooden arch like sitting area taking their lunch. Sirius was lying in his stroller peacefully sleeping.

“Hey Lia we’re gonna go to the swings over at those trees, wanna come?” Cassie asked her

“Yeah of course I’m coming. But we should get Siri too, you know why.” 

Cassie knew what she was talking about, they may be 6 but they’re not stupid. Both of them knew that the minute Sirius was born both Walburga and Orion would try to impose their medieval beliefs. But it’s not only that; Cassie had told her cousin that ever since Siri was born, her parents were being even crueler and colder towards her. Ophelia knew her aunt and uncle, once they saw their second child was a boy they saw no point in taking care of their daughter. That’s why she swore to her, that she’ll do whatever it takes to help both her and Sirius with the whole situation. The last thing she wanted was for them to start abusing both of her cousins, and trying to force their beliefs. But she knew Cassie was smarter than that; she would never blindly obey and follow their orders. It was Sirius who she was worried about; he was only a baby, he could be influenced easily if they didn’t help. So that was what she was going to do. Once they approached the arch, Cassie went towards her brother’s stroller, smiling at him. Sirius really did love his sister, from the size of the smile that was formed. Cassie put on her serious demeanor on, and turned towards her mother.

“Mother, is it possible that me and Ophelia take Sirius out for a stroll? It is after all such a beautiful day, and he might get in the way of your discussion by making noise.”

Cassie knew how to manipulate people ever since she was a toddler; one of the perks of being a Black. It is a common characteristic among the members of family to be stubborn, persuasive, and of course manipulative. Even if many recognize these traits as negative, the Blacks considered them as some of the most important assets to a person’s character. So all in all, Walburga agreed, and allowed them to take Sirius. Having distanced themselves from the grown-ups Ophelia shot Cassiopeia a smirk while they were pushing the stroller.

“You are pure evil you know that Cass?” she smiled and nodded

“I know, but so are you. That’s why we make such a good team Lia; and that’s the reason why we made our vow to protect the others from my parents.” Stopping the stroller Ophelia looked deep in her cousin’s eyes and saw nothing but plead for help. She was worried that in the end something would happen and her life will come crumbling down; Lia just knew that was what her cousin was thinking, she could feel it.

“Cassie……toujours et pour toujours. You’re my family; family sticks together and protects each other no matter what. I will never desert you, mark my words.” Cassie nodded while she was on the verge of tears, and hugged her cousin.

“I love you Lia…” Ophelia smiled against her cousin’s shoulder “I love you too Cass." That’s when little Sirius started moving in his stroller, and laughing as he always did. They both looked towards him smiling; until he said something

“Lia!” He sounded so excited the moment he formed the word that he soon started repeating it over and over again. The cousins couldn’t help but chuckle; he was so innocent and angel-like, which made them hope that he would not turn out like his parents. They would make sure of it.

........  
December 1957  
Regulus Black II was the last asset to the Black family and he was born on the 13th of July 1957. Now it had been around 6 months after his birth and things around Grimmauld Place had changed once again. Walburga and Orion had seemed to have forgotten almost completely of their other two children and focused completely on him; that left Cassiopeia and Sirius completely alone, not receiving the parental love and affection that every child deserves, all because of some sort of “vision” their deranged mother supposedly had. That’s why Cassie and Sirius were always spending time in the Black Mansion; they were practically living with their uncle, aunt, and cousins. Druella for sure did not mind hosting her niece and nephew, knowing that they were safer with them than with Walburga and Orion. Cygnus on the other hand seemed to think otherwise. His protests that they should leave the children to their parents, were expressed almost daily.

“Druella I know my sister, she wouldn’t abandon her own flesh and blood. She would never do such thing.”  
“I know you love her Cygnus, but she has literally left them to their fate. She’s not taking care of them, especially Sirius who’s only a year old; if it weren’t for Cassiopeia the boy…”

She stopped not wanting to consider the mere possibility of what could have happened to her nephew if it weren’t for Cassiopeia. Cygnus didn’t know how to answer to that. Yes, he knew what would’ve happened to Sirius; yes he knew what his sister and brother-in-law were doing was wrong; but he just couldn’t believe his older sister was in reality so cold to completely throw away her children like that just because her vision said only Regulus was important. He just couldn’t comprehend it.

“This is not only your house Cygnus, it is also mine; so I will take care of our niece and nephew and you cannot do anything or say anything that will change my mind. Is that clear?” he nodded his head knowing that when his wife gave him that tone, nothing that he would say or do would change her mind.

“Good. Now if you’ll excuse me I’ll go check up on the children.”  
……  
One could imagine the surprise on Walburga and Orion’s faces when they heard Regulus’ first word. It wasn’t Ophelia’s name, but it wasn’t either of his parents’. To their surprise his first word was his older sister’s nickname, which made them furious. She wasn’t even around the house anymore; how was that possible?

What they didn’t know was that every night, when they were sound asleep, Cassie would creep in the little one’s room and talk to him. She would tell him everything about their cousins, their brother, and their vow; promising that as much as their parents tried, they would never make him the monsters they were. She and Ophelia would make sure that the new generation did not hold the same ‘bad genes’ as the last one.


	4. French Lessons

.......  
Spring 1958  
It was early. So early that the sun wasn’t up yet, but Ophelia was wide awake. Today was the day her aunt Vinda would start teaching her French. Even though they had promised to start sooner, her mother had insisted to let her enjoy her child life a bit more before she started studying. 

The little one was excited. She would finally understand what her mom was saying when she would murmur under her breath; or what aunt Vinda would write in her letters towards a woman that no one knew about except her aunt and herself. She was very eager and overwhelmed, that’s why she woke up before dawn. Even though the mansion was quite big, the girls insisted on sleeping in one enormous room; that showing just how much they adored each other’s presence. 

Their room was really big, while the walls were surrounded by a library where they kept their books. Each girl had chosen a spot, and declared it her personal space. For example, Ophelia and Bellatrix had chosen the side of the room which was next to a small sort of alcove which hosted an enormous window, and two smaller ones on each side, while Andromeda and Narcissa went for the opposite wall. They all had done something to their own space, distinguishing it from the others’. Ophelia had settled pictures of her and her family on the bookshelves along with some of her favorite books and empty journals she kept. Bellatrix, being the untamed and free soul she is, would usually keep spell books (with harmless spells only) and try to practice magic even if she wasn’t allowed to. Andromeda, who was a quiet but artistic character, kept her drawings on her bookshelves and quite possibly her dolls since she was still only 5. Narcissa was still only a 3 year old toddler, so her side still mostly had her toys and nothing else.

They loved being around each other all day, every day so choosing to live in the same room was a good idea. Anyway, since everyone else was still sleeping Ophelia crept towards the small alcove and sat down looking outside. Everything was so peaceful and quiet; the sun was starting to rise illuminating the garden below and the entire estate. It was purely magical, and she loved every single second of the scene in front of her. Suddenly she heard someone cry; it was Narcissa.

“She must be having a bad dream.” Ophelia thought and rushed to her sister’s crib, picking her up gently. She brought her back at the alcove and gently rocked her back and forth; humming a peaceful tune her grandma Rose had taught her.

“Everything is alright Cissy…everything is fine; you are safe in my arms, don’t you worry.” 

Immediately little Narcissa fell back to sleep in her sister’s arms cuddling against the warm embrace. Ophelia loved her sisters, and whenever any of them had a bad dream she would sleep with them so they felt her presence; so they felt safe. At around 8:30 everyone was awake, and went to the garden to take their breakfast. While the house elves were preparing the table for them, Vinda appeared at their fireplace, wearing a green dress, her dark green cloak and her infamous witch hat.

“Ugh people seriously need to improve these flu powder systems. I’m here!” she said with a smile plastered on her face, while her nieces immediately ran towards their aunt

“Auntie Vinda!!” they all screamed while hugging her 

“Hello my little munchkins.” That minute Druella came in the room, still wearing her nightgowns and a robe. She smiled at the sight in front of her.

“Bonjour Vin. Comment ça va?“ The children looked at her the moment they heard her voice. They always loved hearing their mother speak in French, it sounded so elegant and noble… it was like French was made for her; it suited their mother well.

“Je suis très bien merci. Comment vas-tu ma sœur?” She asked, knowing her nieces were wondering what the two women had just said.

“I’m fine as well, now come breakfast is ready. Then you and Lia can have that French lesson.” 

Druella said and winked at her eldest daughter while heading outside once more. She joined her husband as did the rest, and ate their breakfast in peace. Once everyone was done Cygnus had to leave, since he had to attend a meeting at the Ministry. He may not work for them, but he did try to include himself in whatever matters were to be said in the next Wizengamot meeting.

“Are you ready sweet-heart?” Druella asked her daughter

“Yes I am mom. Auntie Vinda can we go, please??” she gave her aunt those puppy dog eyes, and Vinda just smiled

“Of course. Ella do you mind if we take the library?”

“Not at all, we’ll be out here if you need anything.”

“Excellent come along Lia darling.” Vinda walked back towards the house, with an overly excited Ophelia strutting behind her trying to keep up.

“Mom when will we start taking French lessons with aunt Vinda?” Bella asked her mother eagerly

“Once each of you has turned at least 8; studying can wait another year Bellatrix. Now why don’t we go and play hm?”

Her daughters nodded their heads eagerly and went towards the swings on the closest tree to play followed by their mother. Druella loved spending time with her daughters; they made her feel at least 10 years younger. But she always had her mind on her niece and nephews; she was worried about them, but she couldn’t think of something to do about it. The only thing she could do was whenever they wanted shelter to welcome them with open arms offering them the motherly love they didn’t receive from Walburga.

………  
Vinda and Ophelia reached the library of the house. It was literally one of the biggest rooms in the mansion; in size it was about the living room and the dining room combined. The first thing one would notice was the large arched window right across from the entrance and the high ceiling. To their left was a staircase that leads to a small kind of second floor that gave one access to another 3 series of bookshelves. In the center of the room was a large table where Vinda took her niece to sit down and begin. It was quite the magnificent library, and it held books that didn’t exist out in the market anymore making it priceless.

“Alright ma chérie, let’s begin.” Using her wand with wordless spell she brought in front of them an old book which seemed to be a French grammar book.

“Now before we use the book, I am going to teach you the very basics. So just like in English in French we have the personal pronouns. So instead of I, you, he/she, we, you, they in French we say je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles. Good so far?” 

Ophelia nodded her head, while writing them down. Vinda looked at her niece with a smile; she remembered when her mother started teaching her the beauty of the French language, she was around Ophelia’s age. They continued for about an hour and a half when the child seemed a bit tired and Vinda told her that it was enough for one day. The minute Vinda got up and started to head towards the door, when Ophelia asked her something.

“Auntie, can I ask you something?” she turned on her heels facing her niece with a smile.

“Sure honey, what is it?” Ophelia tried thinking of a way to phrase her question without it seeming that she was intruding in her aunt’s personal affairs.

“Since I can remember, you would write certain letters in French towards a woman; Queenie something. Is she a friend of yours? And if she is how come I have never met her?” Vinda froze, unsure of how to respond to her niece’s question. “I knew she was clever but I never expected her noticing that” she thought. You see Vinda was hiding something from her family for years, and luckily no one had noticed; up until now at least. 

“Um…yes sweetie she is…a very good friend of mine.” Ophelia could sense that her aunt was lying in a way.

“Auntie…I know you are lying. You know that you can trust me; I won’t tell anyone if that’s what you want.” Vinda considered her options. She knew that if she insisted that she was telling the truth Ophelia wouldn’t stop until she found out if she was truly being honest or not. So she had to tell her niece the truth. She walked back towards the table and settled next to her sister.

“Alright dear, I will tell you but you cannot tell anyone. I will tell them when the time comes.” Ophelia nodded her head

“When I was around 20 years old, I joined one of the greatest wizards of all time: Gellert Grindelwald. He was a man filled with visions of a new and improved world; a world where witches and wizards do not have to hide and where muggles accept us not hunt us down. We were looking for a world where we could be free to be ourselves without hiding who we truly are. I was his lieutenant, meaning his right hand, and I would like to be considered as his closest friend. We were determined to change our community; nothing could get in our way. That’s when Queenie joined us. I was responsible for her wellbeing, before and after she joined, helping her adjust and feel welcome with us. We slowly grew closer, and became friends. We would spend most of our free time together; we knew each other inside and out, the good parts and the bad parts.” She paused taking in a shaky breath, while Ophelia looked at her patiently waiting.

“That’s when things changed. Our friendship became…something else, we felt something different for each other. We felt just like your mom and dad feel; we loved each other…and we still do. Even if our community is slightly more progressive in this matter, there are still people out there that consider my relationship with another woman as… something bad. That is why we haven’t told anyone about it; and that is why I am keeping it from our family because I do not know how they will react to this.” Ophelia was processing what her aunt had just revealed to her. She just couldn’t understand why people would criticize her for that? Since the both of them were happy, like her parents, why would anyone want to ruin that? It just didn’t make sense to her, but she understood that her aunt wished to keep it private for now.

“Okay, I will not tell a soul auntie. But just to be clear, I’m happy that you have someone like mom has dad; you deserve it.” 

Vinda couldn’t help the tears. It’s the first time, besides Gellert, that someone accepts her relationship with Queenie. She hoped that everyone else in her family shared her niece’s opinion on this, but doubt still lurked around her positive thoughts especially about her father's reaction. But for the time being she took her little niece in her arms and hugged her pouring out her entire love she had for her. Her sister was right; once her niece reaches adulthood, she would bring a great big deal of change in this family. She is meant to achieve greatness in her life, and hopefully helping their society as a whole to evolve and reach its almost forgotten past greatness, along the way.

“I love you munchkin.” She whispered while kissing Ophelia’s forehead.

“I love you too auntie.”


	5. Wizengamot Meeting

.......  
Fall 1958  
Cygnus had just left his home, to attend a Wizengamot meeting with the Lord Black. Orion was not joining them this time, due to him being sick as he proclaimed in his letter. Arcturus had informed him that the meeting was to take place at 11:30 sharp, so he arrived at the ministry at around 11. He found him the minute he entered the Ministry, talking with Lord Parkinson, Lord Rosier, and Lord Greengrass the two former being part of the Dark families while the latter was a member of the Grey families but leaned towards the Dark. 

“Lord Black, Lord Rosier, Lord Parkinson, Lord Greengrass good morning.”

“Good morning Cygnus how are you today?” Arcturus asked

“I am well Lord Black, thank you for asking. My Lords, please do not interrupt your previous conversation on my behalf.”

He said urging them to not be affected by his presence. In general, Cygnus was a charming and polite man who captivated his fellow companions with his noble like manners. But one should never underestimate him; he was a very skillful opponent both in combat but in negotiations as well. Notorious for his pride about his heritage, and a fierce protector of his family he is both feared and respected in the Wizarding World.

“Cygnus, you are polite as always.” His father-in-law said with a slight smile. “We were just discussing about the agenda Dumbledore has given us for this meeting…”

“And guess which lovely topic we will be discussing once again with him?” Arcturus asked him

“Fair guess of mine is the issue of the Olde Rituals. Well I do hope that my Lords Parkinson and Greengrass will vote against this deranged proposition of illegalizing them.”

“There is no question about that Mr. Black. All of our families have been practicing these rituals for thousands of years; we are not willing to allow someone like Dumbledore to just characterize them as Dark.”

“Dark? What do you mean Lord Parkinson?” He was clearly confused, at the last meeting Dumbledore had tried to announce them being illegal; not linked to the Dark branch of magic. He would be downright mad if he did that.

“In the agenda book he phrases the topic as ‘Addressing the issue of whether the Olde Rituals should be considered Dark.’ His audacity has no boundaries.”

“It truly hasn’t…Now shall we?” 

Arcturus said motioning them towards the door of the chamber where the meetings of the Wizengamot are held. While the Lords joined the rest down in the main chamber, Cygnus waked up the stairs to watch the meeting from above, in the chamber of spectators. He took a seat at the edge of the railing towards the left (where the Lords of the Dark Families were seated below), having the entire chamber as a view. This was going to be quite the political battle, especially between the Dark and the Light families. The meeting began with Dumbledore hitting his little hammer on the table.

“The meeting of the Wizengamot of Fall 1958 is declared officially open; supervised by Chief Warlock Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore…” 

He continued announcing all his titles, which made most of the court groan in displeasure of his arrogance. Cygnus just shook his head and, waited for the actually beginning of the meeting. After a dozen titles, the meeting finally starts, beginning with the issue of the Olde Rituals of course. Immediately Arcturus takes the floor, standing up while having a stone like expression on his face. Whenever he was so serious, he tended to be quite intimidating and imposing towards his opponents. This was what Cygnus hoped; that the rest of the Lords were indeed intimidated to join the Dark families.

“My Lords, the matter brought upon us today will impose long lasting consequences, if we choose the wrong decision, to the future generations of our world. I urge you all not to forget our traditions who have been passed on from generation to generation; dating back more than 2000 years. These rituals connect us to our magic; they even reinforce it and allow us to perform spells, enchantments, and abilities that we could have otherwise dreamed of in our wildest fantasies. Without them we lose that connection; our magic will gradually begin to evaporate, just like Hecate had written in our scriptures with the rules and laws of ALL magic…” Many in the room nodded their heads in agreement, most were from the Dark and Grey families. The minute he finished he remained standing waiting for someone to stand by his points and convince even more people into joining him. Lord Greengrass then stood up, slowly and nodded his head towards Arcturus.

“The Lord Black is correct. Who are we to state these rituals as Dark? Who are we to deprive the future generations from channeling their magic easier and reaching the power that is intended for them to reach? For 2000 years no one, I repeat NO ONE has violated the sacred laws and scriptures of Hecate; does this council intend to be written as the first one in history to have committed such sacrilege?”

The minute he finished one could see plenty Light families understanding the points that were being made. Especially Lord Prewett, Arcturus’ son-in-law, and Lord Longbottom were agreeing with the Dark families for once. “It might be feasible for the topic to be rejected completely by the council, thus humiliating Dumbledore. That would be a blessing, oh Hecate.” Cygnus thought to himself not noticing that Lord Prewett had just taken the floor simply stating that he agrees with the other two Lords. Lord Longbottom, expressed his own agreement as well, while plenty others from the Light side were ready to follow. Seeing this, Dumbledore suddenly stood up, while Arcturus gave him a glare as if threatening the Chief Warlock. Arcturus and the rest settled back in their seats, he was curious to see what sort of arguments he would use against them this time.

“My fellow Lords, as the one that initiated this dilemma, I do understand the facts that the Lords Black and Greengrass have offered the council and I thank them. But they failed to mention that during the Prime Ages of our kind and the Middle Ages as well, these rituals posed a great threat to muggles and sometimes muggle-born wizards. In the records of the time, the prejudices and the extensive belief of blood purity were thriving; urging the warlocks and witches who took part to these rituals even persecute muggles and muggle-borns. Hundreds were killed, especially during Yule and Midsommer. So I ask you this, blood sacrifice, discrimination against muggle-borns, prosecution against muggles, and mainly the use of Dark natured spells, aren’t these rituals supposed to be considered Dark? And should they not be legal due to the fact that they pose a great threat to wizards and muggles alike?” The Dark and most Grey families could be all described in one word: infuriated. “That tears it.” Arcturus thought immediately standing up once again; Lord Greengrass, followed and so did Lord Parkinson and even Lord Lestrange. They all were ready to reply to the intended accusations of them being pureblood and bloodthirsty supremacists.

“My Lord if we did not know any better, we would be suspicious of you implying that we are just, once again, pureblood supremacists who wish nothing but the annihilation of all muggles. But to answer your questions, we must remind the council that especially during the Middle Ages our people were being continuously prosecuted by muggles; this made us feel mistreated, and filled us with hatred and revenge.” Lord Greengrass explained calmly, but Arcturus wasn’t as calm as him. He took the floor, ready to break all hell loose. “No one offends my family like that and gets away with it.” He thought while beginning his counter-argument.

“Adding to the fact that our families, especially the House of Black, have been practicing these rituals for centuries and we have never gone after slaughtering anyone as you implied Mr. Dumbledore. As for the spells, since when are you, our beloved Chief Warlock, so prejudiced implying that one branch of our magic is related to evil? And since all magic is the same, it is as if you are characterizing all magic as evil. One would expect more from such an expert at these matters like yourself, but it seems we all have been mistaken on thinking so highly of you.”

The chamber was engulfed by a death like silence. Everyone was shocked by Arcturus’ words and especially since he didn’t refer to a fellow Lord especially the Chief Warlock as ‘Mr.’ Even Dumbledore himself seemed deeply taken aback from his accusations, and tone. The meeting was adjourned, since after that confrontation tensions would be high. So the entire meeting ended with that last and cold speech from the Lord Black. The entire chamber was filled with whispers and accusations of the one side towards the other; this was common, but today one could tell how infuriated the Dark and Grey Lords were. Cygnus quickly joined him in the main chamber, knowing that there will be several who would approach them in order to confront the Dark Family Lords, especially the Lord Black. Searching for him, Cygnus spotted Arcturus with Lord Rosier, speaking in hushed tones; the latter seemed pleased but quite worried from the outcome. Joining them, he exchanged a worried look with the two older men.

“Arcturus, Alferd we must leave at once.”

“Yes Arcturus indeed, we need to leave. The Light families are bound to approach and begin a confrontation if we do not.”

“No. We will leave last…Think gentlemen if we leave now we will seem weak to their eyes; running like a bunch of cowards. Now Cygnus if you wish to return home, you must; Druella and the girls need you back home.”

“Yes about that, would you mind coming around my Manor sometime this week? We need to discuss a serious issue regarding my niece and nephews.”

“Of course I will come Cygnus. Now we must speak to the other Dark and Grey Lords, give our regards to Druella and the kids.” Cygnus nodded his head with a smile

“I will my Lord. Good rest of the day to the both of you. Lord Black, Lord Rosier.” 

He smiled while bowing his head gently at the mention of each name, showing his respect; they nodded their heads, in order to say their goodbye to the man. Afterwards Cygnus exited the chamber and headed towards the fireplaces at the entrance of the Ministry. Using the flu network he returned home, at around 2:30 in the afternoon. The sight that his eyes saw was the sweetest one he has yet to witness in his life. His wife had enchanted their couch into becoming more like a bed, in which she laid in the middle. His four daughters were sprawled around their mother, intently listening to their mother’s story. The moment they saw him, his daughters jumped up and ran towards him.

“Dad!!” they all gave him hugs while he kissed each of their foreheads

“Hello my darlings are you enjoying yourselves with your mother?” they all nodded their heads intently. Druella came towards them with a sweet smile on her face.

“Well of course they were, even though they have heard this story about 5 times already.” She gave him a light peck on the lips.

“Girls, your father and I need to speak about his meeting, why don’t you go outside to the swings and play?”

“Okay mom! Come on girls let’s go!” Bella said excitedly, as they all ran outside

“And be careful! I’ll be out shortly!” she smiled while Ophelia nodded her head indicating that she need not worry; she would look after her sisters

“Now tell me how it was. Please tell me they didn’t pass that good for nothing Olde Rituals law.”

“They did not.” He said while he lifted the enchantment off the couch, and settled down. “At least not yet. Arcturus gave quite the battle to convince the rest to vote against it, and most at first joined him. But Dumbledore then implied that the Dark and Grey families were nothing but pureblood supremacists, as per usual, and Lord Greengrass and Arcturus were infuriated; mostly Arcturus. But let me tell you he put Dumbledore in his place, forcing him to adjourn the meeting.” Druella sat down next to her husband nodding her head

“Well he wasn’t wrong. Dumbledore insults us in almost every meeting, he had it coming.”

“I know but let’s hope this will not strain the already strained relationship between the Dark and Grey families and the Light families. Because if this does happen…it means war.”

………  
The next day, Arcturus owled Cygnus and Druella to inform them that he will be passing by in the afternoon for tea. When he arrived the little ones hugged him for a few minutes, since they adored him so much. After that they went upstairs to their room to play with their toys since the weather was not the best. The three adults sat in the living room, while a house elf presented them tea and small pumpkin sweets to accompany it.

“So Arcturus, I assume you are aware that you are not present here for the arrangements of the Samhain celebration.” She said with a smile trying to light up the mood; Arcturus did indeed chuckle at the comment

“Yes I am aware that it has something to do with my grandchildren and that it must be serious since we are alone.” Cygnus and Druella looked at each other with a worried look. They couldn’t find a way to explain this to him, without him becoming outraged and determined to march into Grimmauld Place the next second. Placing their tea down, Druella gave Cygnus an encouraging look urging him to start the situation.

“For the last somewhat 6 months there have been several days even weeks in which Cassiopeia and Sirius have stayed here with us…” He gave them a questioning look, not understanding where this was going. Cygnus looked at his wife as indicating that he can’t think of how to express the problem. So Druella took the lead, and continued

“And there were times where we would see bruises on Cassie’s arms and legs. She claimed that it was just from a fall when she was out playing but she didn’t convince me. So what we are trying to say is…that it’s possible that Walburga and Orion are mistreating them to a physical level besides the mental one. We believed that it was our duty to inform you.”

The eldest Black was least to say shocked and outraged at the same time; one could see the emotions change from the look on his eyes. His own son, beating the future and potential Lord/Lady Black. He was more than outraged; he was infuriated. And Walburga; he knew that woman was as cold as ice, and more prejudiced than anyone else in the family but beating her own children? That was a new low even for her. If it wasn’t for Cygnus and Druella, he would have apparated instantly to Grimmauld Place and disowning them before they could say “Toujours Pur”.

“Now Arcturus, hold your temper. Think about the children, we can’t have them witness any more scenes of violence.” Druella said holding him from attempting to get up and enter the fireplace.

“Then what are we supposed to do Druella? Hm? Leave my grandchildren, your niece and nephews, with those child abusers? I won’t allow it as long as I live.”

“I know Arcturus, I am not a supporter of that idea either, but think about how their lives will be after that. Both Orion and Walburga will try whatever they can to influence them, and you know that the means they will use will hurt the children even more.” Druella said

“She is right. With the recent turn of events, of my sister's cruelty, we can definitely be sure that she will do whatever it takes to impose her beliefs on the children; even if that means....Merlin I do not wish to think of her using curses on her own children. ” Arcturus did see that they had a point, so he thought of another alternative; there really wasn’t one.

“Alright so what do you propose?”

“Keep them out of that house as much as we can. Bringing them over to play with our daughters, or giving them history lessons at your mansion, any excuse really. That is the only way we’ll save all three of them, and not provoke Walburga and Orion.” 

He considered the possibility, and it was feasible. Yet, what about the few hours of the night or the early morning they’d spend with their so called parents? Would they be safe then? Thinking about it for a while Arcturus thought that it was worth the risk. But in the mere possibility of them being severely hurt he would go there and make sure all hell would break loose.

“Alright, this best work. But I am just informing you, if any of them get severely hurt, you tell me and I’ll handle it.”

“Of course my Lord Black.” 

Cygnus said while sitting back down on the coach. Arcturus settled down in an armchair while Druella sat next to her husband. They were discussing about the Wizengamot meeting until late at night when the girls asked for a bed time story. Druella excused herself and headed upstairs to join her daughters in their room. Arcturus believed that it was best for him to leave since it was getting late, so he left leaving Cygnus alone in the living room. Exhausted, the man walked up the stairs slowly, ready to head for his room; that's when he saw the girls’ bedroom door slightly ajar. He opened the door and leaned towards the door frame. His daughters and wife curled up in Ophelia’s bed while Druella was reading folk stories from an old, dark red book to them. He would recognize that book anywhere; his parents would use to read to him and his siblings ancient myths when they were around the age his daughters were now. He remembered how his sister was back then; a carefree and loving child, eager to please their father and live up to his expectations. Who would have thought that she would become who she was now? Well their father was partly to blame, even though he is a good man, his opinions are still outdated even if he doesn't publicly share them with the rest of the family anymore. He wondered, since his sister became such a cruel woman, does that mean he would eventual turn out to follow in her and their father's footsteps? 

Horrified, he snapped out of his thoughts and walked towards his family. All of the girls were already half asleep, while laying beside their mother; so he slowly picked each one up and settled them in their beds kissing their foreheads gently, while lowly whispering ‘I love you’ to each one. Druella repeated almost the same manner, and they both headed towards the door. Turning off the remaining lights they exited the room before lingering their gazes at their sleeping angels. Druella smiled at him, and walked down the hall towards their bedroom. He was still at the door, returning to his previous thoughts, while his gaze lingered at each of his daughters. No, he thought, I am not like them and I never will be. Closing the door carefully, he began to walk down the hall, passing beside his father's portrait. Stopping in front of it, he stared deep into his father's black eyes thinking "They both are the past, my girls are the future and I must protect them from him, Walburga....and quite possibly from myself." He continued his way once again, yearning for sleep...


	6. Family Bonding

........

Summer 1959

  
Summer was coming around quickly, especially Midsommer/Litha one of the many celebrations that the Blacks celebrate every year. The children absolutely love it, mainly because of the large feasts the family would have throughout the 6 day holiday. But thinking about it, the Lord Black knew that the children were not aware of the symbolism or the importance of the holiday to all magic creatures.

  
The 3 different types of bonfires, one with only clean bones (bonfire), one with only clean wood (wake fire), and the last one made of both bones and wood (St. Johns fire); the connection to their ancestors, and the earth which allows them to control their magic and all that clean energy that is trapped in their bodies. But also the symbolization of purging the air from any sort of infections to their magic, and the creation of a space filled with divine inspiration. Then the bouquets of white lilies, long fennel, and green birch which is garnished upon with garlands of beautiful flowers, shadowed on each door. The lamps made of glass with the oil burning all night long, intoxicating the air with this smell which smells like; home. Arcturus could almost picture the scene replaying constantly in his head; the entire family gathered in his mansion in the garden, setting the large table while the children went to gather some clean oak wood. Later in the night all of them gathered together, lighting the fires, sharing an excellent meal under the light of the lamps while sharing stories of the past.

  
That’s when he remembers that from last year, there would be a major difference. Melania wasn’t going to be at the table; not this year not for any other year to come. His wife had passed away almost 6 months ago, days before his birthday, from an unfamiliar illness; she suffered from it for quite a few weeks, begging her husband to let her go and perform some quiet spell or potion to put her out of her own version of hell. But he wouldn’t listen to her, he wasn’t ready to let her go and when she did the eldest Black was devastated. Her passing changed him; made him more impatient, angry, and depressed. She was the light in his life, always helping and guiding him towards the light end of an endless tunnel of darkness; but this time, she wasn’t with him in the tunnel; he was utterly alone, with none beside him. For the first few months, he wouldn’t leave his manor, barely speaking to anyone, while spending most of his time in his study working; but that didn’t work for long. Whenever he was needed to leave the house, he would snap at anyone and become even more hostile in any meeting towards his opponents. The entire family had noticed the shift in his behavior, but how can you comfort a man who in the presence of the entire world showed that he clearly did not wish to speak of this matter? 

  
The adults tried everything they could, comforting him, visiting a lot more often so he didn’t feel alone, even urging him to take a break but…no result. But, suddenly Druella thought of a magnificent idea. Since Letha was coming, they had arranged to host this year’s celebrations in their manor (Cygnus and Druella’s) so she would need someone to take care of the children. She owled all the grandparents, informing them that for the rest of the day they would be in charge of the children. Sending the letters she sincerely hopped, that the children would be able to ease Arcturus’ pain; because if they didn’t he would be lost forever.

  
A few hours later, it was around midday. All of the grandparents had replied, happily obliging in taking care of the kids; all except Arcturus. She was growing worried to say the least, because the whole point was for him to interact with the children hoping that they would make him become his lovable self again. Finally the large black owl arrived, ‘Midnight’ (cliché I know), baring her master’s letter in her beak handing it over to the young woman. Druella was extremely happy when Arcturus obliged to take care of the kids, while he even offered to gather them in his mansion. “That has to mean something right?” she thought to herself.

  
The hours passed by quickly and around 3:30 Druella apparated to Arcturus’ mansion where she was met by the older generation of the family. The children immediately ran towards their grandparents, hugging each and every one of them; especially Ophelia and Cassiopeia rushed to Arcturus’ side, embracing him vividly without him reciprocating for a few seconds; when he did, one could see how pleased and peaceful he was after so many endless months. “Maybe…just maybe…” she thought while kindly smiling towards all of them, especially him. 

  
“Well it seems I am of no assistance here. I will send an owl the minute we are finished back in the manor with the preparations. You are still coming on the 19th if I am not mistaken?” looking quite eagerly towards Arcturus with a pleading look in her eyes. He seemed to notice, and gave her the smallest reassuring smile one could give;

  
“We certainly are, even though your mother and I might be a bit tardy to arrive. But we promise to attend.” Alferd told his daughter with a sweet tone in his voice.

  
She nodded her head slightly, and bid them all fair well while her daughter, niece, and nephews came to give her kisses on her cheeks. Apparating back to the manor instantly, the children were left with their grandparents. They all practically begged their grandparents to let them play outside in the summer sun. But the elders had decided on another activity for the day, a tad less exciting as playing; they would share with them stories, myths, and legends of their world and their families, helping the youngest generation understand and appreciate their ancestry. So in order to persuade the youngsters to stay indoors on their own free will, Pollux thought of a plan.

  
“Fine you can go play, while we talk about grown up things that maybe you could not understand.” Pollux said while giving the rest a wink and a smirk. He knew that a slight use of innocent manipulation will convince them to stay and participate in the conversation.

  
“Your grandfather is right, and besides that we may share a few stories from the past; you would consider them dull anyway.” 

  
Irma said while Rose let out a small chuckle. The little ones obviously seemed a bit offended, but the two older ones knew that their grandparents were just messing with them. So after the complaints of the other 5 children, they all settled down in the living room. Arcturus settled Regulus and Sirius on his lap, while Cassiopeia, Bellatrix and Andromeda joined Pollux and Irma on the couch. Ophelia held Narcissa as they settled in between Alferd and Rose nearby. The elders shared forgotten tales, and myths that had been passed down from generation to generation in the Black, Rosier, and Crabbe families. These stories were mostly tales of how magic was created, and Hecate’s tales into fully controlling her powers. That is when Ophelia asked them

  
“What is the difference between Dark, Grey, and Light magic?”

  
She was by nature a very curious child indeed, and she is 2 years away from attending her first year in Hogwarts so they chose to answer the question as thoroughly as possible. Even if Hogwarts was a great institution for young wizards and witches to learn about magic, there were certain facts that they did not teach the students. Arcturus took the lead, and began the tale, giving the rest a look that meant that they would recite the story together.

  
“So as the previous tales had mentioned, Hecate is considered as the Mother of all Magic, due to that she was the first to truly comprehend and control her powers. Now our Mother has 3 different forms and those are: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Each one represents a type of magic broadly known as: Light, Grey, and Dark. Easy so far?” he asked and all the children nodded their heads, that’s when Alferd continued the story.

  
“As Lord Black said, each form of her represents a type of magic. The Maiden is associated with spring, dawn, growth, and light; that is why it is the source of our Light Magic.” Rose was the one to continue this time

  
“Then there is the Mother. She is mostly associated with summer and noon a time where nothing is growing nor dying, a neutral time of the day; that is why it is the source of our neutral type of magic, meaning Grey Magic.” Pollux looks at Irma, asking her with a glance if she would like to continue; but she urged him to tell this part of the story

  
“Last but not least we have the Crone; she is associated with fall, winter, dusk and night a time of day and the year where death and darkness are common. That is why she is the source of our Dark Magic.” That’s when Irma went on to complete the story

  
“So you these three aspects of our Mother make up all Magic. They are all one and the same, depending on each other to ensure the balance among Magic; but simultaneously they are so different from one another, and unique. That is why a good witch or wizard is one that accepts, respects, and practices all three forms of Magic: Light, Grey, and Dark.”

  
“And do not listen to those who discriminate against the Dark Arts. Those people do not deserve the title of witch or wizard since they are denying an aspect of our Magic. It is like they are denying a part of themselves and their powers. That is why we will teach you all how to control and perform all three kinds of Magic.” 

  
Arcturus was the last one to speak. The last thing he wanted was the latest generation of Blacks to reject one aspect of Hecate (the Dark) because Hogwarts is governed by a prejudiced and old fool. That’s when he came up with an idea of another story. Even if most of them were old enough to understand, they had never explained to the children the celebrations the Blacks celebrated each year; the 8 Rituals of Olde. So since they were all gathered in one place, it was about time they learned what they were.

  
“Does anyone know what we will be celebrating in the next few weeks?” Arcturus asked, while he gave the grown-ups a knowing look; giving him a slight nod, they seemed to all agree that it was time for the youngsters to learn about the holidays. None of the kids, answered for a while when Bellatrix decided to share with the rest her opinion.

  
“Is it Midsommer or else known as Litha grandfather?” 

  
Even though he wasn’t the 4 girls’ grandfather, he did not have a problem being called ‘grandfather’ by them like they called Pollux and Alferd. Instead he really enjoyed it, since he loved the four girls just as much as his own grandchildren. 

  
“Yes it is Bella, but I am sure that your parents have not explained what it is exactly.” The kids shacked their heads, and looked at him with pure curiosity in their eyes.“The holidays of our world are made up of 8 different holidays…” Then with his wand he created a circle of light and divided it into 8 equal parts. Each end of the 4 lines had a name of a holiday written on it. There was a small red triangle on the periphery of the circle that was close to the name ‘Litha’ indicating that the holiday was soon. “So as you can see, Litha is coming really soon and that is why from now on, the day before a holiday begins we will explain its origins and meaning to you. But today, I will just explain the basic about the Rituals of Olde, meaning the rituals performed at these holidays. As your grandma Rose said in her story about how Hecate realized her deep connection with magic, Hecate was the one who created these rituals and holidays. You see these rituals allow us better access to our magic, allow us to make it more powerful, and achieve things that one could only imagine. Without the performance of them, our magic will slowly begin to die, and our kind will disappear once and for all. That is why these holidays are so important, especially to our family; they allow us to be more connected with our magic; another part of ourselves. So I wish that all of you will from now on take place in the celebrations and help us in preparing for them.”

  
They all nodded their heads, promising their grandparents that they would. After this little sort of interaction with the kids, Arcturus had shortly forgotten of his pain and the emptiness in his soul. It was as if the laughter and the curiosity of the children covered the void that was created after Melania’s death. He felt just like the old times, before any of the events of last year happen; carefree and just happy about everything and everyone around him. But he did feel guilty, for forgetting his wife’s death so easily for a few minutes. He knew life must go on, even though he personally didn’t feel ready to move on from this. Even if he had sworn to Melania to not dwell over this for long and stay strong for the rest, it was a lot more difficult than what he had imagined his life to be. After a couple of minutes, the children started to seem restless while staring outside through the large glass balcony door. Being the attentive woman that she is, Rose was the first to notice it. Smiling sweetly she looked towards the rest of the adults, and exchanging looks they decided to allow the kids to head outside. 

  
“Since you all have been such good kids, why don’t you go outside and play hm?”

  
“Alright grandma, last one to the white oak loses!” 

  
Bella said while Andromeda, Narcissa, and Cassiopeia ran behind her. Sirius was having a hard time keeping up so Ophelia took in her one arm Sirius’ hand and with other she held a sleepy 2 year old Regulus. They catched up with others at the swings that were hung on the old but still thriving white oak tree. They instantly started splitting into teams in order to play tag, but when it was Ophelia's turn to join, she politely declined. She had to keep an eye on Regulus; he was only a 2 year old toddler meaning he needed someone with him constantly. So while the others ran down the slope, Ophelia settled down on a swing careful not to startle Regulus. 

  
Everyone enjoyed playing tag, except Ophelia; most of the time, she would either read or take care of one of the youngest while the rest played. She didn't really mind actually; on the contrary she rather enjoyed it when she held one of the youngest in her arms either because they were too young to play or they had scrapped a knee or for whatever other reason. Gently rocking back and forth on the swing, she hummed a gentle lullaby to the toddler hopping that it would calm him. She did feel sad about humming that tune; after all it was the tune her grandma Melania used to sing to her for as long as she could remember and when she was old enough she taught it to her. She did miss her. Her laugh, her smile, her voice, her sweet gestures like bringing them sweets on the holidays or teaching them how to play the grand piano in this very manor. Memories kept flooding in to the young girl's brain, replacing her calm mood with a bit of a depressed one. But she quickly snapped out of it from the young boy's slight snoring which she found quite adorable and amusing. He was sleeping in her arms peacefully; like he felt that her arms were the safest place on the entire planet for him. Watching from the small elevated hill where the white oak was situated, she had a clear view of the entire estate. She could see the adults through the balcony doors, discussing in the living room, and the rest of the children playing around beside the little pond. Beyond she could see, several different manors each with a respectable amount of land in their name, including her home only realizing that it was a bit further away than she remembered it to be. Flowers had already bloomed, the valley was filled with them while it smelled of honeysuckle and wild berries. Birds were flying over her head, and a light breeze was beginning to form in the atmosphere. In the farthest West corner of her eyesight, she could see the sun slowly and steadily slopping away into the horizon making the entire valley appear in golden colors. This was definitely one of her favorite scenes that she has ever witnessed up until now. If she could somehow stay in this peaceful moment for the rest of her life, she most certainly would. The only thought that existed in her head in this relaxing part of the day was "Now this is what I like to call home..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not my favorite chapter from what i've written so far but....i hope you guys like it  
> also i'm just informing that personally i'm not completely okay with how magic and execution of spells is being done in the harry potter universe, so in terms of magical theory and practice i will be taking greatly into consideration how magic and witches are being shown in the tvd universe and mostly in 'the originals' which is mostly about controlling energy with your hands rather than a wand, through rituals of all sorts, bond with the ancestors, and the main source of their power being the four elements...so yeah just wanted to let everyone know


	7. Revealing Secrets

_ Winter 1960 _

Imbolc was right around the corner, one of Druella’s favorite holidays of the year. It marks the beginning of spring, while the entire family would meet for dinner and to light their bonfire which symbolizes purification and the return of life and warmth. But the most enjoyable part was that of divination. The entire family would gather after the feast, and try to depict any sort of future events that might happen or looked out for certain omens that meant them any harm. It was a beautiful holiday, since simultaneously to the celebrations the weather would improve each day, while the flowers were slowly beginning to bloom. She honestly couldn’t wait for February 1st to come finally, and start the preparations.

But today was not the day to be discussing about this sort of celebrations. Vinda had asked for a family meeting between her, and their parents in their family home in Paris. So that morning, Druella told her husband that she would be gone in France for the rest of the day, and that he needed to stay home with their daughters. She honestly was quite curious as to why her sister was persistent that they met there instead of their family’s home in England. “She must have her reasons.” She thought while, putting on her deep red cloak adjusting it to look as magnificent as it really was. Brushing her black dress and looking herself in the mirror, she believed she was ready, so she exchanged goodbyes with the girls and Cygnus. She thought about Paris while closing her eyes gently and instantly felt the change in the atmosphere around her.

“Ah ma chère Paris.”

She exclaimed the minute she found herself in the quarter of Montmartre, the district of Paris she grew up in. It was and still is her favorite place in the world. Filled with painters at each carré, the small café sprawled around the district, and the old yet noble architecture of the buildings. She walked on the opposite route that lead to Sacre Coeur, and finally reached her family home.

She entered the building through the dark green door, her family’s favorite color, and reached the inner courtyard. She admired the architecture, as she would do when she was a child; the stairs, the large porch that extended throughout the rectangular shape of the courtyard, and the beautiful fountain stationed in the middle. She continued her way straight for a pair of glass doors at the other side of the courtyard; they lead to a smaller sort of courtyard, more like a lounge room with couches and paintings on either wall, that was costumed with two staircases on either side that also lead to the second floor. She walked up one of the staircases, and headed towards her father’s old study. As she presumed her sister and parents were there, waiting for her. Vinda seemed…nervous and uncertain; it was the first time she had ever seen her sister like this.

“Vin are you alright? Did someone hurt you?” Druella asked as she rushed to her sister’s side. Vinda looked up at her sister timidly. How would her sister react to her news? Will she accept her? Or will she reject and disown her?

“I’m fine little sis, it’s just…I need to confess something to you all.” Her parents and sister waited for her patiently, giving her all the time she needed to find the right words.

“All my life I always told you that, I do not wish to marry so that I can be free and make my own choices……well on the contrary for many years I have been deeply committed with someone…”

“Oh that is just wonderful, dear.” Their mother said excited

“Does this someone have a name, Vinda?” Their father asked seriously

“Yes……she does.”

Their parents were shocked, mostly their father; His dark blue with a grey undertone eyes, were filled with anger, shock, and disappointment. His eldest daughter, dating a woman? It was absurd! Unheard of! How dare she shame their family name like that by doing such a vile thing; by acting so selfish! Her mother may have been shocked, but her face softened with each second passing. Even if she didn’t like the situation, she just wanted her daughter to be happy; if that meant being with a woman rather than a man, she would swallow down her pride and accept it. And she knew that her eldest daughter was happy with the woman, since especially the last few years she’s grown to be a bit softer and loving unlike when she was younger. The woman was good for her daughter, so why should she deprive her child from her? Unlike both their parents Druella was expressionless. Nothing was going through her mind; she couldn’t feel anything nor say anything. She needed some time to let this entire situation to sink in. It was quiet until their father erupted like a volcano.

“This is absurd! I respected your decision not wishing to get married, but I will not accept this as you think I will. How dare you shame our family’s name like that! Acting so selfishly, not thinking about the consequences that it will bring to us! You are a complete disgrace to this family……And you are not……”

The three women looked at him with wide eyes, knowing how the sentence would finish. But he couldn’t say the rest of the words. His tongue was suddenly tied like a knot, making him unable to speak. And besides, it was his little girl; the girl that was as stubborn, and mischievous as he was. The girl to whom he taught every single spell he ever knew. The girl who ran towards him anytime she felt threatened by the outside world. The girl whom he watched to grow into the powerful, confident, and wonderful woman she was today. This was his baby girl; he couldn’t just say that she did not mean anything to him. He shook his head, and bit the inside of his cheek; immediately he left the room, probably apparating somewhere else in Paris. Vinda’s eyes were welling up with tears; she knew it that especially her father would not approve, but hearing the last words almost leave his mouth made her feel as she had been stabbed in the heart. She felt an arm placed on her left shoulder, and instantly felt calmer than before. It was her mother, as always, giving her a light smile while rubbing circles around her back with her other arm.

“Now, now sweetie he will come around once he sets aside his pride. We love you, and want you to be happy even if sometimes our opinions contradict. We will always be here for you.”

Vinda gave her mother a sad smile, while she noticed that Druella had left the room as well. Her heart was even more broken than before. Her own sister and father had just almost disowned her. The only thing she needed was comfort; especially her mother’s. As if she read her mind, Rose wrapped her arms gently around her daughter’s back pulling her into a deep hug. Vinda immediately relaxed in her mother’s arms, letting out small sobs not able to hold the tears anymore. Her mother soothed her, by rubbing circles around her back while humming the lullaby that would make her sleep when she was a baby.

“I love you maman.”

“I love you too Vinda.”

They stayed in that position for a while. Rose could feel her daughter’s heart break from Alferd’s harsh words from before. She would take care of him later; right now she needed to show her daughter that she was there for her. After a few minutes Vinda felt a slight headache, most probably from the events and the crying, but she felt better than before. Pulling away, her mother’s green eyes scanned her face for any sign of further heartache or distress. When seeing none, Rose held Vinda’s head in both her hands, and gently placed a kiss on the top of her head. So to lighten the mood and make her daughter feel better she said

“You know I would love to meet her; the woman that swept my daughter off her feet.” They both chuckled at that, while a small smile crept to appear in Vinda’s features

“She actually is in Paris at the minute; she came since she knew that if things were worse than now, I would do something foolish in my lack of comfort. I would invite her over but…”

“Do not worry about your father. I will take care of him, and make sure he comes to his senses. Now go find your sister, and talk things through with her; she is more likely to understand than him.”

Rose got up still having her daughter’s hand in hers, while smiling down at her. She let go of their hands, and started walking towards the door; she had to go handle Alferd’s temper and pride, in order to help him see that their daughter was for once sincerely happy. She turned on her heels and faced her daughter from the door frame.

“Remember sweetie that as soon as your father comes to his senses, I expect the both of you to come to dinner.”

Vinda chuckled and nodded her head gently, suiting as an answer to her mother. Before flashing her one last smile Rose apparated to go find her husband, and give him a piece of her own mind. Vinda was now alone in the room, wondering where her sister went. “She could not have just left the house…right?” Vinda thought, and exited the room towards the corridor that gave her a view of the small lounge room/courtyard. Her sister was sitting down in one of the couches admiring the painting of their family tree that extended on the opposite wall. The older Rosier sister knew that when Druella sat alone she wished to be left alone; so she waited until her sister was ready to allow her to join her. That’s when the silence was brutally ended by Druella’s soft voice.

“Do you love her?”

Druella asked and looked directly towards her sister on the balcony, who was facing her. Their eyes both dark green, like their mother’s, met each other. Druella’s weren’t filled with anger, as Vinda anticipated them to be, but they were filled with hurt. The eldest sister slightly nodded her head.

“I do love her Druella. She means everything to me.” Her sister gave her a light smile and a nod. Druella knew the feeling; it was what she felt with Cygnus.

“Do I happen to know her?”

She asked, while with a slight nudge of her head, she motioned her older sister to join her. Druella wasn’t mad at her sister for liking women; no not at all. She was mad at her for lying in her face for years, hiding such a wonderful thing from her. It felt like her sister didn’t trust her anymore, and that broke her heart into pieces. Druella would never make Vinda feel bad because she happened to fall in love with a woman; she just wants her older sister to be happy, because she deserves it.

“It’s Queenie…Queenie Goldstein. Remember from our days in The Alliance?”

Vinda answered as she walked down the stairs. Of course it was Queenie; the blonde Legilimens was her sister’s polar opposite, everyone loved her bubbly personality and unlimited kindness. She was able to bring out the best in other people, even from the ones which seemed completely unreachable and cruel. They were actually friends; all three of them. Queenie had helped Druella become an even better person, by teaching her that being kind and approachable did not necessarily make you weak. But after the defeat of Grindelwald they did not manage to keep in contact with each other, and there were times were she regretted it. "Well no wonder why Vinda fell in love with her." she thought while chuckling to herself. Vinda settled down next to her sister, wondering why she was chuckling.

“What?” she asked Druella, chuckling herself

“Nothing, it just makes sense even though you two are complete opposites. I believe that the both of you make an excellent couple; you both deserve to be happy after everything we have been through.” She reached for her sister’s hands taking them into hers and squeezing them gently

“I am happy for you Vin, I truly am. I just cannot understand why you did not tell me earlier?”

“Ella I didn’t know how you would react to it; and the last thing I wanted was to lose my sister because of such a silly reason…I am sorry sis, I truly am.”

Druella gave her a smile and hugged her older sister. She wanted to make sure Vinda knew, that she would never leave her side; they were family after all, and family sticks together through thick and thin. She squeezed her sister gently, while she spoke.

“I am not going anywhere sis; not now, not ever. I will always be by your side no matter what, you hear me?”

Vinda nodded against her sister’s shoulder, tears rolling down both of their cheeks. They stayed like that for a few minutes, comforting each other. After all these years, a small matter like that would not destroy their sisterhood; nothing would destroy their bond. Neither of them would ever allow it. When they slowly pulled away, they smiled at each other sweetly just like when they were kids. Vinda then had a thought.

“Would you like to see her?”

“Of course, but isn’t she back home in America?” It had been many years since the last time Druella had seen Queenie, and she did rather enjoy her company back in the day.

“No, she is here in Paris. She knew I was going to tell you today so she wanted to be nearby if everything went totally wrong.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Bring my sister-in-law here.”

Druella said chuckling, while slightly pushing her sister towards upstairs where the fireplace was. She really did want to see Queenie again, now knowing that she was the reason her sister had become such a huge softie. Vinda smiled at her sister’s antics; she was behaving more like Narcissa, who was 5, than herself.

“Your what? Sis we are not married, we are just……deeply committed.”

“Yes, yes and Cygnus and I aren’t married just deeply committed. Who are you trying to fool Vin? It is just like marriage; you have been together, I believe, for all these years. In my eyes you are married, so run along and bring her back here.”

Vinda smiled sweetly, while nodding her head turning to head to the fireplace. Even though her father did not take the news well, she was pleased that at least the women in her family supported her. Using the flu powder system, she arrived at the apartment that Queenie was staying these past few days. Brushing off the dust and a bit of ash that had been caught up in her dress she stepped out of the fireplace.

“People seriously need to improve this system…idiots destroying my clothes.”

She murmured quite angrily walking towards the couch. Immediately Vinda heard a squeal and a blonde woman appearing from the corridor opposite from her. No matter how many times she had seen Queenie, the woman would every single time manage to take her breath away. Wearing her favorite pink dress, and having apparently just done her hair, the younger woman raced towards her like a bullet being ejected from a gun. Clashing on to her, the two shared a long hug not being able to let each other go. After a couple of moments the two pulled away, while Queenie cupped the taller woman’s cheeks giving her a light peck on the lips.

“Vin mon amour…Are you alright? How did it go?”

Queenie couldn’t read Vinda’s mind even after all these years of them being together. It wasn’t like the other woman was hiding anything behind her occlumency wards; they just had agreed that for Queenie’s well-being and peace that Vinda kept her occlumency wards up most of the time. That way the blonde wouldn’t suffer from panic attacks of too many thoughts at once, or invade the other’s personal space. But the positive part was that after all these years with her, Queenie managed to learn a decent amount of French, allowing her to understand Vinda in both her letters and real life. Vinda gently stroked her hands up and down her lover’s sides, and took a deep breath.

“Well…my father was absolutely furious and he almost completely disowned me…” replaying the scene in her mind, her eyes began to well up with tears again. Seeing her reaction Queenie gave her a small smile while whipping the only tear that left her love’s eyes. “But at least my mother and sister did not share his reaction…in fact Ella wants you to join us in our house for a while. You know talk and see each other after so long; will you come?” she asked hopefully looking deep into the other woman’s eyes.

“Ofcourse I will come, I haven’t seen Ella in years. Let me grab my coat and we’ll leave.”

The blonde witch said while flashing a bright smile towards Vinda. Whenever Queenie would smile, she felt as if she was falling in love with the woman all over again. It just was such a genuine and filled with love kind of smile, which to be honest Vinda hadn’t received from anyone besides her family and only friend. She muttered a small “okay” while kissing her love gently for a few seconds before urging her to go get ready. Queenie just felt like home to her; she felt welcome and loved unconditionally by the other woman, especially whenever they kissed. After getting her coat, the blonde headed for the fireplace when she felt a hand pulling her back gently.

“No way, I am not using that old, filled with dust and ash thing for the second time today. We’re apparating.” Vinda said while it was evident her face was filled with disgust about the fireplace. Queenie just chuckled while she squeezed the other's hand and came closer to the other woman.

“Whatever her majesty wants.”

Vinda just shook her head trying to refrain from laughing while thinking about her house’s main courtyard. Instantly they appeared in the center of the courtyard, right beside the fountain. Queenie spun around staring at how amazing and ravishing this house was. But it did look awfully familiar for some reason…and then she remembered to having visited a similar house in New Orleans, Louisiana. “What was it called again?” she thought and then the memory came to her: the Abattoir.

“Vinda how is it possible that your family house looks almost identical to a mansion in New Orleans?”

“Oh you mean L’Abattoir...well it was inspired by my family’s design and architecture; also it is actually the residence of a family with which we are quite close but as you can see there many differences between the two mansions. Now come Ella is waiting in the living room.”

Taking her hand they walked towards the glass doors across the courtyard. Queenie had actually heard about that family; the Mikaelsons. They were very notorious since they were one of the most powerful families to have walked the earth; able of being both warlocks and dark creatures making them immortal. Entering the room, the women saw Druella sitting in a large armchair reading a grimoire possibly, while on the table there were three cups of tea and pastries. Looking up from her book, the younger woman saw her sister and Queenie standing timidly right in front of her. Giving them a warm smile she got up and headed towards the blonde woman.

“Queenie, it’s been far too long.” she said while embracing the woman who made her sister feel loved

“It has indeed; I have missed you quite a lot Ella.” They pulled away, while they exchanged genuine smiles.

“Well so have I, and I’m eager that the two of you fill me up on all the events I have missed. So come join me for tea.”

The women settled in beside Druella’s armchair, and began talking. Answering every single question Druella had about when and how they began their relationship, to how they communicated all these years and many more. Sharing their experiences from the last several years, they all remembered the reason why they had shared such a deep bond back in the days of The Alliance. Laughter and tears of happiness often filled the room for the next few hours; it was the sign of a reunion of three women who had shared the best years of their lives growing up together. Forming a connection and a bond that lasted up until now… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i made a mikaelson mention; no they will not appear in the fic...possibly


End file.
